Submabine tunnel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. BUGKELEW, OF PLAINFIELD, NEIV JERSEY.

SUBMARINE TUNNEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 349,301. datedSeptember 21, 1886.

Application filed March 16, 1886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BUOKELEW, of Plainfield, in the countyof'Union and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement inSubmarine Tunnels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a metallic tunnel built in sections upon theshore, and when completed temporary bulk-heads are placed in the ends tomake the sections water-tight. These sections are of the proper size andshape, and each is provided with one or more vertical shafts ofsufficient length to reach above the water when the tunnel has beensunk, and the sections are launched and floated to place and sunk, andthen bolted together; or they may be bolted together and then sunk.After one section has been properly bolted to the adjacent section, thebulk-head is removed to open one section into the next. The tunnel isweighted to sink it, and it is also protected by ballast filled intocribs or tanks that are provided for its reception along outside thetunnel.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section of thetu'nnel completed.Fig. 2 is a plan view of aportion of one of the sections, and Fig. 3 isa section, in larger size, of the interlocking and connecting parts ofthe adjacent ends.

The tunnel is shown as adapted to two tracks, and of a rectangular shapein section; but my improvements are available with tunnels of anydesired size or sectional shape.

.The external ribs, 1 1, are of iron or steel,with

flanges, to which the plates 2 2 are riveted.

. These plates are of iron or steel, and the bottom bars, 3, and ribs orangle-irons 4'are added for obtaining the desired strength. Where thetunnel is used for two tracks, it is preferable to introduce a range ofcolumns or a central partition at 5 to support't-he roof. The

. sections are of suitable length, and are similar to a boiler or atubular bridge so far as de-. scribed, the joints of the plates beingcalked. Upon the top of each section there is a vertical shaft, 8, ofboiler-iron. The same is removably bolted to the top of the section, andthe same is of a size to admit workmen to descend to the tunnel-section.After the tunnel is completed, the entrance to the shaft at the top ofthe tunnel is to be closed by a plate bolted to Serial No. 195,380. (Nomodel.)

place, and then the shaft is unbolted and removed.

One of the special features of my invention relates to the manner ofconstructing the ends of the sections so that they can be bolted to eachother. Upon the ends of each section are inwardly-projecting rims 11,and these.

of rubber, 16, or other yielding material, and

the same is secured in place by cement, or, preferably, by screws 17 thefaces of the rims being recessed where such screws are received, and theportion of the rim through which the holes 13 pass preferably projectsbeyond the rest of the rim, as shown, so that when the two sections areset together thernbber or yielding coverings will come tightly againsteach other; and to guide the sections into place, and to facili-' tatethe placing of one section of the tunnel properly against thepreviously-placed section, I make use of the lapping plates 15, rivetedupon the top angles of one sect-ion, and resting upon the top of thenext section when the parts are in place. As an additional conveniencefor facilitating the placing of the end of one section against the endof the other sect-ion, I provide glasses in frames attached to thebulk-heads, as at 19, the glasses coinciding in position with eachother, so that it can be observed when the sections are in their properrelative positions.

In order to permanently connect the sections together after they havebeen. properly placed, I drive the pointed bolts 20 through the holes13, and in so doing pierce the indiarubber or other yielding material,and this is done withont admitting water to any considerable extent, andby screwing up the nuts 21 the sections are firmly connected together.These bolts are to be at suitable distances apart and of a sizeproportioned to the strength required. These rims 11 might be fasteneddirectly to the plates 2 of the tunnel; but I prefer to make the same asparts of the shells 12, which shells are in sections and bolted'together by internal flanges, and provided with the flanges 10, by whichthey are bolted or riveted to the tunnel-plates 2. By making use ofthese shells I am able to obtain the necessary width fortheconnecting-rims 11 without diminishing the internal diameter of thetunnel. The removable bulk-heads 22 are secured by the top bolts, 23,that pass into the rims, and by removing these top bolts the bulk-headscan be taken away, so that the tunnel-sections are opened into eachother. It will be evident that these removable bulk-heads can be used inother sections as the work progresses. Rods of lead or of sheet metalrolled up are preferably inserted into the channels 26 around the facesof the rims. These form a permanent packing as they are compressed, andthe rubber parking is protected from the action of the water. The shellsforming the joint-shells at the ends of the sections can be filled inflush with cement after the tunnel has been otherwise completed.

To sink the tunnel-sections I provide upon the outer sides of the tunnelbins or ballast tanks, into which ballast or concrete is to beintroduced. These ballast-tanks are made of cast or wrought iron, theribs at the bottom of the tunnel being extended beyond the plates forreceiving the bottom plates, 31, of the bins, and these ballast-tanksextending up to the top of the tunnel, or nearly so, and there areconnected to the external ribs or angle-irons of the tunnel by theplates or straps at 34. These ballast-tanks open at the top ends, andare to be filled with ballast or concrete, and it is preferable to coverthe top of the tunnel with cement or concrete to the desired depth forprotecting the iron.

By my improvement very little work has to be done by workmen in adiving-bell, and confined air under pressure in the tunnel whileconstructing the same is rendered unnecessary, because the bed of theriver only requires to be dredged to the proper depth at the line of thetunnel, so that the proper dept-h of water will exist in the channelover the tunnel, and the mud and sand will fill in around the tunnelafter it has been sunk.

If desired, the sections of the tunnel may be bolted together afterbeing floated to place and before theyare weighted and sunk, and as thesections are screwed up tightly they will be brought into their properrelative positions.

I claim as my invention 1. In submarine tunnels, the method hereinspecified of excluding water and uniting the sections, consisting inpreparing the sections with rims extending inwardly and perforating themwith holes that correspond in the section ends that are to cometogether, covering such holes with india-rubber or similar material toexclude the water, placing the sections end to end with the rubbercoverings against each other and the holes coinciding, andsimultaneously perforating the rubber and connecting the sections bydriving bolts through the holes, substantially as set forth.

2. The tunnel-sections made of iron plates and ribs, in combination withthe inwardlyprojeeting rims at the ends perforated for theconnecting-bolts, the shells or enlargements connecting the rims to thetunnel-sections, the removable bulk-heads attached to the rims, and thelapping plates attached to one section and resting upon the othersection, the packing between the sections, and the pointedattaching-bolts passing through the rims and through the packing, andthe nuts for the bolts, substantially as set forth.

3. The tunnel-sections made of iron plates and ribs of the proper sizeand strength, bot tom ribs extending beyond the vertical sides of thetunnel, in combination with the bins and partitions upon the sides ofthe tunnel for the reception of ballast, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the tunnel-sections and the removablebulk-heads, of rims extending inwardly, and to which the removablebulk-heads are connected, and bolts for fastening the sections together,and the packing of lead or other soft metal introduced into a groove atthe outer surface of the rim, substantially as set forth.

5. The eombi nation,with the wrought-metal tunnel-sections, of ranges ofhollow cast-iron shells bolted together and attached to thetannel-sections, and having inward rims perforated for the reception ofthe connect ing-bolts, and the removable bulkheads attached to suchrims, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 10th day of March, A. I). 1886.

CHAS. ll. BUUKELEW.

\Vitnesses:

(lno. T. PINCKNEY, \VILLIAM (l. Mo'r'r.

